


Touch of Truth

by Kateera



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Revelations, Will is a stubborn ass, touch starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-31 00:52:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10888464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateera/pseuds/Kateera
Summary: “Touch comes before sight, before speech. It is the first language and the last, and it always tells the truth.”Margaret Atwood





	Touch of Truth

**Author's Note:**

> I needed fluff and if you did too then here ya go. :) As always, a super huge thank you to [Llewcie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Llewcie/pseuds/Llewcie) who reads though these things and steers me in the right direction!

The first incident occurred without Will being aware of what was happening. He’d settled into the plush couch in front of their slim wall-mounted TV, flipped the channel to Animal Planet, and promptly fallen asleep to the drone of a cat rehabilitation center. When he awoke, a strange heaviness held him down and Will opened his eyes to see Hannibal draped across his lap like a weighted blanket. Seeing Hannibal stretched out with his legs dangling over the arm of the small couch, his hands crossed on his stomach, and his head pillowed by Will’s thighs, the only emotion Will focused on was confusion. The bubbling feeling of warm fondness didn’t make it through Will’s carefully constructed barriers. He shook Hannibal’s shoulder, hoping he wouldn’t startle him into violence. 

 

“Hannibal, wake up.” Will kept his tone soft, and then groaned as a trail of drool slipped out of Hannibal’s mouth to land on his leg. “Unbelievable.”

 

Giving Hannibal another shake, this time much harder, Will felt him rouse at last, wiping at his mouth and stretching as if being found passed out on Will’s lap was completely normal. The edge of his shirt rose up to reveal a small strip of skin and Will did not lick his lips at the tantalizing sight of lightly tanned skin and coarse hair. His lips were simply dry from his nap.

 

“Hello Will.” 

 

Will looked back to Hannibal’s eyes as he dragged a hand over his face and through his hair and Will held his breath at the contented gaze. 

 

“You drooled on me.”

 

“I apologize,” Hannibal said, his voice contrite enough that Will believed him. “I didn’t foresee sleeping as deeply as I did.”

 

“But you thought my lap would be what, a comfortable place for a nap?”

 

“I started on the other side of the couch, Will. I must have moved in my sleep.” Another sleepy stretch and yawn and Hannibal looked like a big cat waking up from a nap; Will wouldn’t have been surprised if he started purring.

 

The concept of Hannibal moving in his sleep wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility, the couch being an extremely comfortable place for such activities, but Will still had one question.

 

“So, uh, why are you still in my lap?”

  
  


*****

  
  


The second incident occurred after a successful hunt. Their latest victim hung, gutted and bloodless and strapped to an ornate golden cross, while Hannibal packed away the harvested meat and occasionally rubbed at his temples. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Will asked, as he watched Hannibal press a palm to his temple for the fourth time and wince. 

 

“Don’t worry about me; it’s only a headache. It will pass.” He placed the last bit of meat, kidneys if Will had to guess, in their industrial freezer and closed the door. He rested his head against the cool metal and Will rolled his eyes at the stubbornness of him.

 

Shaking his head, Will grabbed Hannibal by the sleeve and tugged him towards the stairs. “Come on, I know what will help.”

 

Leading a docile Hannibal out of the basement where he’d just watched him dismember a particularly unsavory priest struck Will as a little more than ridiculous but he let the feeling pass. They entered the living room and Will directed Hannibal towards the right side of the couch. Taking the left side, Will reached up and pulled at Hannibal’s shoulders.

 

“Lay down with your head on my lap, uh, face up.” The blush on Will’s cheeks was from entering the warm room after so long in the basement and had nothing to do with the speed at which Hannibal followed his request. 

 

“Mol - my dad used to do this to me whenever I got headaches,” Will said, gritting his teeth and hoping the accidental slip wouldn’t be commented on; he knew it wouldn’t go unnoticed. 

 

"Far be it from me to refuse whatever magic Molly could conjure." The remark might have had more bite if Hannibal hadn't clutched at his head immediately after, giving a sharp stab to Will's empathy. 

 

"Hey, it works, if that's your worry," Will said, slipping his hands into Hannibal's hair and pressing firm fingers to the base of his skull. "It even helped with my migraines."

 

"Do you still get these unbearable headaches?" Hannibal asked, turning a concerned face to Will that had absolutely nothing to do with the sudden bloom of warmth sprouting in his chest. 

 

"No, they've manifested as a person at this point."

 

"That was rude Will." Hannibal admonished before moaning as Will hit a spot on his scalp that eased some of the pain.

 

"You like me rude. It gives you a proper basis for comparison."

 

Hannibal snorted, a sound so undignified that Will stopped his kneading hands to stare. "I'd consider you more the exception that proves the rule. Now Will, please..."

 

The furrow in Hannibal's brow as his sentence trailed off brought Will's attention back to his task and he held firmly to either side of Hannibal's head, drawing circles over the areas he'd seen Hannibal pressing against earlier. Will moved his way from the front of Hannibal's skull to the back, pressing circles into his scalp and paying special attention to any spot that elicited a moan or groan. Ten minutes into the massage and Hannibal no longer made any noises, but lay limp in his lap while Will worked. The next sound Will heard was the soft snore of a sleeping Hannibal. Pulling his hands back from Hannibal's head, Will flexed his fingers and then froze as he felt Hannibal press his face into the soft fabric of Will's shirt, nuzzling into the soft flesh of his stomach.  

 

"Unbelievable."

 

Will tried lifting Hannibal off his lap without waking him, pulling at his broad shoulders and sliding out from under his weight. The minute his head left Will's lap, Hannibal's eyes snapped open and he sat up. 

 

He felt at his head and brushed hair back from his face before turning to Will with a smile. "Thank you Will; the headache seems to be gone." 

 

Will pinched his lips together and didn't say a word as he watched Hannibal stand and walk up to his room. He didn't move as he heard the shower start and the soft strains of Chopin trickle into the air. Will stayed on the couch, stared out the side window, and resolutely ignored the tent in his slacks. 

  
  


****

 

Hannibal stopped playing subtle by the third incident. Will sat on the couch, a book resting on his abdomen while he read by the yellow light of the side table lamp. Sleep still evaded him at times and he'd find his way to the couch for a late night of books, wine, and hilarious infomercials. Tonight was one of those nights and he'd tiptoed past Hannibal's door to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine without even reading the label, and settled into his couch cushion to read. Will felt the air in the room change as Hannibal entered and stood quietly near the door. Looking up, Will's breath caught in his throat at the sight of Hannibal in thin hip hugging pajama pants and nothing else. From his bare feet, to his arms wrapped around his furry chest, to the tangle of his hair, Will marveled at Hannibal's ability to be vulnerable and he didn't find it the least bit alluring even if he did keep staring. 

 

"Why aren't you sleeping Will?" Hannibal asked, entering the room further now that Will had acknowledged his presence. 

 

Will shrugged. "It happens sometimes. Uh, sleep and I have a rocky relationship."

 

Hannibal nodded, his hands clenching twice before settling over the impressive bulge of his biceps. "I understand what you mean. Sleep and I have also become less than friendly these days."

 

Setting his book on the table, Will faced away from Hannibal and forced his mind to fixate on something other than how absolutely sexy Hannibal looked freshly rolled out of bed. Conjuring the image of Jack yelling obscenities at him, Will brought himself under control and faced Hannibal again to find him standing next to the couch. Will did not scream but his cough hit a note a slightly higher than normal and the choking was a mere coincidence.

 

“Will, I have a request.” 

 

“Jesus,” Will breathed, clutching at his chest, “I know you move fast but you, um, you normally make noise around me.”

 

Hannibal looked down at his bare feet, wriggling his toes in the plush carpet. “Apologies for starling you; I hadn’t counted on you being so distracted.”

 

“Um, I’m wasn’t distracted, I mean, just because I jumped a bit, I mean, what did you need?” Will debated on what excuse he could give for a sudden departure without Hannibal following and demanding an explanation. 

 

“Will I need -” Hannibal broke off and ran a hand through his hair, untangling some of the knots and letting the strands cascade over his face “-to touch you.”

 

_ PLEASE STAND BY. _

  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the static faded from Will’s mind, his next priority was getting a whole lot of context wrapped around that sentence. “Um, excuse me?”

 

Hannibal sighed, a heavy sound like the first rolls of thunder, and took a seat on the couch, gesturing towards Will’s lap. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to lie down.”

 

“Wh-why?” 

 

The look of nervous hesitation sat oddly on Hannibal’s features and Will swallowed against the lump forming in his throat.

 

“I’ve gone without human touch of any kind for more than three years Will,” Hannibal said, his voice low and rough. “Sometimes I manage just fine with meditating in my mind palace but touch isn't something easily created there and…”

 

Will listened to Hannibal trail off, something that didn’t happen unless he was keeping strong emotions at bay. He didn’t want to think about how Hannibal looked and sounded exactly like someone trying not to cry. Keeping his eyes fixed on Hannibal’s face, Will gave him an encouraging smile, nodding for him to continue.

 

Hannibal cleared his throat and looked down at the floor while he spoke. “I find myself craving human contact but not sleeping because the sheets are too heavy. I get headaches from continuous noise but sometimes I leave because a room is too quiet. It’s a strange thing to see the reasoning behind these reactions but not be able to fully stop them, my body registering the trauma that I kept my mind safe from.”

 

Will brushed a hand over Hannibal’s arm and felt muscles twitch against the pressure. “Sheets still feel like a straitjacket to me sometimes you know?. I don’t want to imagine being touch starved for three years Hannibal but, uh, I’m not sure why laying your head in my lap is your solution.”

 

Looking at Will through a curtain of ash colored hair, Hannibal grinned. “Two birds, one stone. Touch plus sleep.”

 

Will grinned back and held out his hand. “You can hold my hand and sleep then.”

 

Hannibal reached out for Will’s hand, his palms slightly sweaty and trembling, and clasped their palms together. “Thank you Will.”

 

The sincerity in Hannibal’s voice mixed with the feel of him squeezing at his hand brought a rush of emotion crashing through Will’s denial, the wrecking ball to all his excuses, and his mind blossomed with the truth of what he wanted. Swinging his leg across Hannibal, Will sat down in his lap and wrapped his arms around him like a child in need of comfort from a nightmare. Hannibal froze, not moving an inch as Will situated himself as best he could and buried his face in Hannibal’s neck.

 

“It’s not your head in my lap but I, uh, I hope it works.” Will punctuated each word with a gentle nip to Hannibal’s skin, tasting salt and the bitterness of moisturizing cream.

 

“Will?” The syllable sounded strangled in twin ropes of hope and fear.

 

Giving him a tight squeeze, Will sat up and smiled at Hannibal’s expression of cautious optimism. Placing his hands on either side of Hannibal’s face, Will leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to his cheek, then his nose, and finally, moving slow to give him time to push away, Will kissed Hannibal’s mouth, breathing in the smell of mint flavored toothpaste. Hannibal moved. Pushing back against Will’s kiss, Hannibal gathered him in his arms, squeezing tight as he nipped and sucked at Will’s lower lip. He brushed a light lick along the seam of his mouth and the moan that escaped sounded like pure decadent desire. Will pulled back to place line of wet kisses down the other side of Hannibal’s neck.

 

“Will, Will, stop.” Hannibal groaned the words but Will pulled back to cock an eyebrow at Hannibal, waiting for him to explain why he couldn’t lavish attention on that bobbing Adam’s apple like he’d wanted to do last week when Hannibal made mint chocolate chip ice cream from scratch. 

 

Resting his head on Will’s chest, Hannibal took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly. Will played with the fine strands of his hair and untangled another knot. 

 

“I don’t want this because you pity me,” Hannibal said at last, “I won’t let you turn this into sacrifice.”

 

Will’s laugh came out like a bark and startled Hannibal enough that he raised his head to look up at Will. Looking down with soft smiling eyes, Will shook his head in amusement. 

 

“I don’t pity you,” Will said, tugging at Hannibal’s hair. “At this moment I’m experiencing pure selfishness.” 

 

Passion flared in Hannibal’s eyes at Will’s words, turning them to red embers in the low light. “It’s good to be selfish sometimes.”

 

“Mmm, so I hear.” Will tilted Hannibal’s face up. “Can we go back to kissing now?”

 

Hannibal grabbed a handful of Will’s curls and dragged him into a heated, teeth-clashing kiss. Will kept his eyes open, not wanting to miss the sight of Hannibal so lost in passion, lost in emotions that Will brought out. Sucking at Hannibal’s bottom lip before releasing it with a pop, Will moved to pull his shirt over his head. The touch of Hannibal’s hand to his arm stopped him and Will looked down in confusion. 

 

Hannibal shook his head but smiled, reassuring Will that nothing bad had happened. “Frantic scrambling on an overstuffed couch is not how I wanted this to happen.”

 

“What did you want? Candlelight dinner? Rose petals on the bed?” Will smirked and crossed his arms. “String quartet playing on the stereo?”

 

Watching Hannibal’s expression freeze at his words, Will felt a sting of regret but let it fade as he continued talking. “Or perhaps a more violent meeting? Both of us covered in blood and some tainted soul gasping their last breaths in the background?”

 

Hannibal uncrossed Will’s arms, placed firm hands under his buttocks, and stood up. Will gave a very manly yelp and wrapped his legs around Hannibal’s torso while throwing his arms around his shoulders to keep from falling. This action put his ear right next to Hannibal’s mouth, who took the opportunity to bite at the soft tissue of his lobe. Will’s moan brought a chuckle from Hannibal’s lips.

 

“I’d thought a bed at least, vicious man.” 

 

Will nodded against Hannibal’s neck. “Sure, I mean, that makes sense too. Wait, are you carrying me to bed?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I can walk you know.” Will used his vantage point to nibble on the arch from Hannibal’s neck to his shoulders, rolling the muscle between his teeth and smiling at the slight tremble in Hannibal’s arms.

 

“I’m aware.”

 

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Hannibal carefully set Will down on the first step. Moving his arms from Hannibal’s neck to his waist, Will leaned against his chest and sighed. He felt safe, warm, and the passion that had blazed so brightly on the couch ebbed into a smoulder. 

 

Looking up at Hannibal, into that face he loved despite all reasoning and logic and good sense, Will wanted to hold him close and provide that touch he craved.

“So, uh, you said something about a bed?” Will asked, eyes twinkling.

 

“You said something about being able to walk,” Hannibal countered then smiled as Will stuck his tongue out. “No thank you. I’m not hungry.”

 

Will threw his head back and laughed, the carefree sound echoing in the large foyer. A return chuckle rumbled from Hannibal’s chest and Will buried his face in that broad hairy chest with a satisfied sigh.

 

“Thank you,” Hannibal whispered, threading his fingers through Will’s dark curls and relaxing into his embrace.

 

Will looked up with a smirk, combing through the thick hair of Hannibal’s chest, “Reckoning.” 

 

Twisting a nipple as hard as he could, Will’s laughter rang out through the house once more as Hannibal yelped in surprise. Bolting up the stairs, Will raced to Hannibal’s room and slammed the door, locking it before Hannibal could enter. He looked around the small room with its light mint colored walls and dark furniture and wondered if the bedroom in Hannibal’s old house matched the spartan decor. He could hear Hannibal on the other side of the door, wiggling the doorknob and huffing in annoyance.

 

“You have to say the magic words,” Will called out, choking down a giggle. The thump on the door could have been a head or a foot, Will wasn’t certain. 

 

“Abracadabra,” Hannibal answered.

 

Will made a buzzing sound and wandered closer to the door, kicking his shoes off and placing them next to the neat row of shoes against the wall. 

 

“Encephalitis?” Hannibal guessed and Will laughed out loud.

 

“Bzzzz, wrong again!” He pulled his t-shirt off and threw it in the direction of Hannibal’s closet.

 

Hannibal hit the door again. “I hope you know that I could break down the door instead of continue with this ridiculous guessing game.”

 

“Sure, yeah, you could. But you won’t cause this is more fun and, uh, you won’t have to fix your door afterwards.” Will’s pants joined the t-shirt and he opened one of Hannibal’s drawers to find it perfectly organized with socks, boxer briefs, and undershirts. Grinning wide, he tangled the contents into a giant mess of white and black and then shut the drawer.

 

“I forgive you.” Hannibal’s voice carried a note of fond exasperation and Will stopped his destruction.

 

Taking off his boxers and socks and throwing them into his pile of clothes near the closet, Will walked to the door and unlocked it, the click of the doorknob signalling Hannibal’s correct guess. The door swung open and Will stood in front of Hannibal completely nude and smiling. The shock on Hannibal’s face widened Will’s smile and he turned towards the bed. Before he could take a step, Will felt Hannibal wrap his arms around him and pick him up, his feet kicking uselessly at the air as Hannibal tossed him towards the bed. He landed with an undignified squeak, a noise he blamed on the new mattress, and bounced once before settling on the fluffy comforter. Huffing in feigned annoyance, Will slid under the comforter and readjusted until he rested against the headboard with his arms folded behind his head, eyes fixed to Hannibal’s face. He flashed a toothy grin as Hannibal walked to the foot of the bed with his hands on his hips and stared at his like a problem to solve. Returning the smile, Hannibal’s eyes shined with fond adoration and Will shivered as he watched him undress completely and join him in the bed. 

 

“Are you done playing?” Hannibal asked, cupping Will’s cheek and sliding closer to him. 

 

Will scrunched his face and looked toward the ceiling as if pondering the question and Hannibal took advantage of his distraction to lean forward and plant kisses along Will’s exposed throat. The feel of those lips pressing gently to his skin sent an ache into the pit of Will’s stomach and he moaned and arched into Hannibal’s touch. 

 

Tangling his fingers in Hannibal’s hair, Will let the sensations drown him and his eyes closed in bliss. “Okay, I’m done playing, for now.”

 

Hannibal hummed and pulled away after one more lick to Will’s pulse. “I expected no less.”

 

Will listened to Hannibal’s heartbeat, his breathing normalizing as he focused on the steady beat. Sleep beckoned, his eyelids growing heavy and the peaceful darkness of the room wrapping around him like an old blanket. 

 

Kissing his forehead, Hannibal tucked the soft sheets around Will and gathered him up in his arms. “Sleep will do us both some good I think.”

 

“Mhm, yeah. You’re so soft and comfy.” His face turning bright red, Will glanced up to see Hannibal’s lips quirk in a barely suppressed smile. “Well, you are okay? Um, I’m not saying you’re not super sexy or um, fuck. Whatever I say is going to sound wrong.”

 

Hannibal drew Will into a tight hug. “Go to sleep. You can compliment me in the morning if you’re still feeling up to it.”

 

Will yawned and relaxed in Hannibal’s arms. “Sure, sleep sounds awesome.”

 

Falling asleep on Hannibal felt like the most natural thing in the world and the last thing Will heard as he drifted into the calm stream was Hannibal’s low voice.

 

“Good night, dear Will.”

 


End file.
